Hi, Runners.
I hope that you have all warmed up after this weekend’s extra chilly run. You are all completely awesome for braving the cold to come and run some snow-melty miles with us.
I know when it’s cold like that, it’s a lot harder to think about hydration and nutrition, but they’re both still very important.
It’s easy to drink tons of water in the summer, when you’re feeling thirsty. In the cold weather, you don’t feel as thirsty, so you don’t drink as much, even when you’re not exercising. But one of the reasons we can still run outside in the cold is that our body generates heat – and in order to generate heat, it needs enough calories to keep it warm and enough water to keep the blood flowing (I just learned that extreme hypothermia can increase blood viscosity by up to 200% – the cold literally thickens and slows the blood).
In fact, it’s almost easier to become dehydrated in the winter. If we’re not thinking about drinking as much during the day, we’re starting off a bit dehydrated. And then you factor in the cold, dry air, which steals a little bit of moisture from your lungs every time you inhale and exhale. Lower temperatures trick our bodies into ignoring their need for fluids. Therefore we should hydrate even when we don’t feel thirsty.
A good rule of thumb for daily hydration is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. Before your run, you should be drinking 8 – 12 ounces 10 minutes before you begin.
Nutrition-wise not a lot changes for us during the winter. Making sure that you have enough calories in the day before a run is important for any distance you may be running. For longer distances, while you are running, taking in 100 calories for every 45 minutes to 1 hour of activity is important to keep your body moving. It’s definitely beneficial to try different things. Work on what works for you for breakfast the morning of, and what works for you during a run. What’s right for one person isn’t necessarily right for another.
Being both well hydrated and having enough of the right calories is going to make a huge difference on how you feel while running.
As you probably have guessed, hydration is part of your challenge this week. You all got those nifty Gazelle water bottles at the beginning of your program. Use them! Your challenge is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water (for example, a 120 pound person would need 60 ounces of water). But I want you to show me. The second part of your challenge this week is to take a picture of one of the places your water bottle has traveled with you this week. Post those photos to our Facebook group, or e-mail them to me and you’ll be entered to win a small prize at the end of the week.
Wednesday we will be meeting at the Civic Center. We’ll be in the lot off of Pine Street this week, as there is no race going on. If you are traveling down 8th toward the lake, this is the lot on the right hand side.
C25k: 90 sec. run/2 min. walk for 20 total minutes
5k Complete: 1.5 mile run
10k:
Complete: 5 min walk/.5 mile easy/1 mile tempo/.5 mile easy/5 min walk
Compete: 1 mile easy/1 mile tempo/1 mile easy
Half/25k:
Complete: 1 mile easy/2 miles fartlek/1 mile easy
Compete: 2 miles easy/6 x 400 speed/1 mile easy
Saturday we are back at West K – 7 (500 W 24th St, Holland, MI 49423)
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6800739
c25k: 90 sec. R/90 sec. W/3 min R/3 min W (x2)
5k Complete: 1.5 miles easy
10k:
Complete: 3 miles easy
Compete: 3.5 miles easy
Half/25k:
Complete: 8 miles easy
Compete: 7 miles easy
Stay hydrated and I’ll see you all out there running!
Gazelle Sports - Holland 